AL KOOPER

singer-keyboardist-guitarist with rock groups the Blues Project and Blood, Sweat and Tears

“I remember the first single. It was ‘The Closer You Are’ by the Channels on the Whirling Disc label. I believe that my choices were either that one or ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Roger Williams. So I went for the Channels because it was the blacker record. I guess you could say it was the equivalent of hip-hop today. Even the label was black. That’s a great record, too. I think it’s on one of those Rhino doo-wop box sets.

“But I still have that single today. It would take some digging to find it because there’s about 3,999 other ones in my collection, but it’s in there. I think I probably own about 10,000 albums, 4,000 singles and about 3,500 CDs.

“Now that I think about it, I think the first album I got was the second Elvis album. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was.”